Capitalize the first word of a sentence

English Capitalization Rules:

1. Capitalize the First Word of a Sentence.
2. Capitalize Names and Other Proper Nouns.
3. Don’t Capitalize After a Colon (Usually)
4. Capitalize the First Word of a Quote (Sometimes)
5. Capitalize Days, Months, and Holidays, But Not Seasons.
6. Capitalize Most Words in Titles.

What are the 10 rules of capitalization?

What are the 10 rules of capitalization?

• Capitalize the first word of a sentence.
• Capitalize proper nouns and names.
• Capitalize the majority of titles.
• Capitalize events and periods.
• Capitalize “I” as a pronoun.
• Capitalize any locations and direct addresses.
• Capitalize family relationships.

How do you write capital correctly?

We always write the first person pronoun as a capital I.
Use a capital letter for days of the week, months of the year, holidays:

1. Monday, Tuesday.
2. January, February.
3. Christmas.
4. Armistice Day.

How do I use capital letters in Word?

How to change uppercase and lowercase text in Microsoft Word

1. Highlight all the text you want to change.
2. Hold down the Shift and press F3 .
3. When you hold Shift and press F3, the text toggles from sentence case (first letter uppercase and the rest lowercase), to all uppercase (all capital letters), and then all lowercase.

What are the 4 reasons to use capital letters?

Capital letters are useful signals for a reader.
Capital Letters

• Capitals signal the start of a new sentence.
• Capitals show important words in a title.
• Capitals signal proper names and titles.

What are 5 rules of capitalization?

English Capitalization Rules:

• Capitalize the First Word of a Sentence.
• Capitalize Names and Other Proper Nouns.
• Don’t Capitalize After a Colon (Usually)
• Capitalize the First Word of a Quote (Sometimes)
• Capitalize Days, Months, and Holidays, But Not Seasons.
• Capitalize Most Words in Titles.

How do you write capital letters on a computer?

For capital letters, hold down the ‘shift’ key and hold and type the letter. For symbols at the top of a number key, press down the symbol key and then type the symbol. You can use the ‘shift’ key to type any symbol at the top of a key. The ‘caps lock’ key allows you to write in capital letters.

What are the seven main uses of capital letters?

• CAPITALIZATION.
• Capitalize the first word in a sentence or a direct quote.
• Capitalize the names of commercial products.
• Capitalize names that show family relationships or titles when they can be replaced with a proper noun.
• Original Sentence: Cannot Be Replaced with:

How do you capital letters in Excel?

In cell B2, type =PROPER(A2), then press Enter. This formula converts the name in cell A2 from uppercase to proper case. To convert the text to lowercase, type =LOWER(A2) instead. Use =UPPER(A2) in cases where you need to convert text to uppercase, replacing A2 with the appropriate cell reference.

Why is shift F3 not working?

Shift F3 Not Working When The “Fn” Key Is Locked
2.Fn + Caps Lock. Fn + Lock Key (A keyboard key with only a lock icon on it) Press and Hold the Fn key to enable/disable.

Why do we write capital letters?

As capitalization rules evolved after the invention of the printing press in the 1700s, the letter I retained its capitalization, but none of the personal pronouns received the same special treatment. The letter I continues to be capitalized because it is the only single-letter pronoun.

Do capital letters matter in email address?

No. Email addresses are not case sensitive. Having letters in all lowercase makes the email address easier to read, but the oversight won’t stop your messages from being delivered.

Should I be written in capital letters?

The word ‘I’ is not a proper noun, it’s a pronoun. In English ‘I’ is always capitalised. In many other languages the equivalent word is not capitalised.

Do you capitalize president of a club?

According to English capitalization rules, proper nouns are always capitalized. Therefore, when referring to a person with the title President, always capitalize the word.

Do you put capital letter after comma?

No. You don’t have to capitalize words after commas everytime. Only when there is a proper noun (a name of an individual person, place, organization, etc) after a comma, you have to capitalize it.

Does a capital come after?

If the word that comes after a colon or semi-colon is a proper name, you definitely would capitalize it.To put it slightly differently, you aren’t starting a new sentence when you use a colon or semi-colon, so you would only use capitals in the places you ordinarily would.

Do you capitalize job titles in a sentence?

Titles should be capitalized, but references to the job are not. For instance, if you are using a job title as a direct address, it should be capitalized.Title references that immediately precede the person’s name should also be capitalized.

What capital letter means?

Capital letters, also called upper-case letters, are larger than, and often formed differently from, lower-case letters. Capital letters are used at the beginning of a sentence or a proper name and may be used to show respect.

How do you capitalize the first letter on a laptop?

Change case

1. Select the text for which you want to change the case.
2. Go to Home > Change case .
3. Do one of the following: To capitalize the first letter of a sentence and leave all other letters as lowercase, click Sentence case. To exclude capital letters from your text, click lowercase.

What is it called when you capitalize every word?

CamelCase Words are written without spaces, and the first letter of each word is capitalized. Also called Upper Camel Case or Pascal Casing.

Why is Grandpa Joe capitalized?

Why is “Grandpa Joe” capitalized? It’s a general version of a word. It’s a proper noun. It’s not a specific person’s name.

There are some capitalization rules that might seem like common sense, such as capitalizing the first word in a new sentence. 

However, capitalization rules are more complex than they might seem on the surface. 

In this post, we cover ten of the most common rules of capitalization. We’ll also share examples of each to help you understand when to use uppercase or lowercase in your writing.

What are the 10 rules of capitalization?

1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence

This is one of the easiest, most straightforward rules of capitalization. Whenever you start a new sentence, capitalize the first letter of the first word. Simple as that!

2. Capitalize proper nouns and names

A proper noun is a specific name for a person, place, or thing. These types of nouns should always be capitalized, no matter where they land in a sentence. Proper nouns include but aren’t limited to: companies, countries, cities, political parties, and religions.

Names should also be capitalized. That includes first, middle, and last names.

3. Capitalize the majority of titles

Capitalization rules for titles can vary from style guide to style guide. As a rule of thumb, you should capitalize the first word of a title, verbs, adjectives, nouns, and of course, proper nouns. This leaves prepositions, articles, and conjunctions in lowercase. 

Pro Tip: You should also capitalize someone’s title – like Doctor or Judge – if you directly address them, even if you leave out their name. 

4. Capitalize events and periods

You will need to capitalize periods, eras, and specific events. However, centuries and century numbers should not be capitalized.

5. Capitalize “I” as a pronoun

We’re all used to seeing words like iPhone, iPad, and iMac by now. You don’t have to capitalize the “i” in these words. It would look strange if you did and wouldn’t be grammatically correct. However, if the “I” is a pronoun, then it should always be uppercase.

6. Capitalize any locations and direct addresses 

When a direction is part of a name, then you should capitalize it. For example, South Bend or Northern California. However, if it’s just a direction and not part of a name, then it shouldn’t be capitalized, like “turn east at the stop sign.”

7. Capitalize family relationships

When you use a word to indicate a family relationship, it should be capitalized if it’s used as a proper noun. For instance, “Grandpa” or “Uncle Bob.” However, if you aren’t referring to that person by name, then it wouldn’t need to be capitalized. For example, “my grandpa” or “our uncle.”

8. Capitalize months, holidays, and days

The names of months, holidays, and days are considered to be proper nouns. This means they need to be capitalized.

Knowing this capitalization rule, a lot of people mistakenly capitalize the names of seasons. But seasons like winter and summer should NOT be capitalized. They are not categorized as proper nouns.

9. Capitalize trademark names

Trademark and brand names are typically seen as proper nouns. This means you’ll need to capitalize them.

10. DON’T capitalize after a colon

The final rule on our list is a little different. This one tells you when NOT to capitalize. In general, you shouldn’t capitalize the word following a colon. You aren’t starting a new sentence, so there’s no need for it.

However, there is an exception to this rule. If the first word following a colon is a proper noun, then it needs to be capitalized.

Capitalization rules and examples

The best way to learn when to capitalize is by example. 

Here’s are correct and incorrect ways to use capitalization for the rules above:

Example #1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence

In this example, the incorrect sentence should start with a capital letter.

Example #2. Capitalize proper nouns and names

In both of the incorrect examples above, the capitalized noun should have been lowercase. This is because they are common nouns instead of proper nouns.

Example #3. Capitalize the majority of titles

Articles, prepositions, and conjunctions shouldn’t be capitalized in titles.

Example #4. Capitalize historical events and time periods

Example #5. Capitalize “I” as a pronoun

The “i” in the incorrect example is part of a trademark that begins with a lowercase letter. It’s not a pronoun. It shouldn’t be capitalized.

Example #6. Capitalize any locations and direct addresses 

Example #7. Capitalize family relationships

Example #8. Capitalize months, holidays, and days

Seasons do not need to be capitalized.

Example #9. Capitalize trademark names

Example #10. DON’T capitalize after a colon

Normally, you wouldn’t capitalize a word after a colon. However, if the first word is a proper noun, then you should.

***

In sum, the best way to remember the rules of capitalization is to keep writing. Practice and you’ll get the hang of it. You can always keep the rules on hand to refer back to as needed.

More resources

This blog discusses 15 basic capitalization rules for English grammar. To give you an opportunity to practice your proofreading, we have left a few spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in the text. See if you can spot them! If you spot the errors correctly, you will be entitled to a 10% discount. 

Capitalization means writing a word with its first letter in uppercase while the remaining letters in lowercase. As a general rule, in English, a capital letter is used for the first word of a sentence and for all proper nouns. Although the rules of English capitalization seem simple at first glance, it might still be complicated in academic writing. You probably know you should capitalize proper nouns and the first word of every sentence. However, in some cases, capitalization is required for the first word in a quotation and the first word after a colon. Here are the details:

1. Capitalize the First Word of A Sentence

This rule is the most basic one. Always capitalize the first word of your sentence, whether it is a proper or common name.

• The baby is crawling.

• Where to find my book?

• I ordered a new laptop online.

2. Capitalize All Proper Names in A Sentence

A proper noun is the specific name of a person, place, object, or organization to make it more specific such as Alice, Chicago, Tuesday. The first letter of a person’s first, middle, and last names should also be capitalized (John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Thomas Alva Edison). All proper nouns -even adjectives derived from a proper noun- should be written with capital letters regardless of where they appear in a sentence.

• I ordered an Apple computer from BestBuy.

• George Washington was an American political leader who served as the first president of the United States.

The names of cities, towns, countries, counties, companies, religions, and political parties are also considered proper nouns and should be written with capital letters.

• Universal Orlando Resort, commonly known as Universal Orlando or simply ‘’Universal,’’ is a theme park based in Orlando, Florida.

Common nouns refer to a general, non-specific category or entity that name any person, place, object, or idea. They are not capitalized unless they come at the beginning of a sentence or a part of the title.

You should also capitalize words like mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa when you use them as a form of address.

3. How to Capitalize Titles of People

As discussed above, you should capitalize the first letter of a person’s first, middle, and last names (Thomas Alva Edison, John Fitzgerald Kennedy). However, you also need to capitalize suffixes (i.e., Sir Isac Newton., Alexander the Great, Alfred the Great) and titles.

When titles such as Mr., Mrs., or Dr. are considered a part of their name, they should be capitalized too. This rule is followed in a situation in which you address a person by his or her position as though it is a part of their name.

Capitalize	Do Not Capitalize
I completed the report on President George Washington.	George Washington was an American political leader who served as the first president of the United States.
When I started at Apple, I worked as an intern with Senior Vice President Luca Maestri for one month.	Luca Maestri is one of the senior vice presidents of the company.

a. Do not capitalize occupations and titles when they are not used as part of a name.

• The journal’s chief editor

• He was a libertarian senator. 

b. Do not capitalize titles when used descriptively.

• Dr. Lawrence, who will chair the meeting, will be here soon.

b. Titles immediately following the name do not ordinarily require capitalization. 

• Dr. Lawrence, the chairperson, will join us at the meeting.

c. When the article ‘‘the’’ appears in front of the job title, do not capitalize.

• Lawrence, the chairperson, will be here soon.

• The chairperson, Dr. Lawrence, will join us at the meeting.

• Goodman was the managing editor of the journal. 

d. Capitalize titles in signature lines.

Although there is no universal rule on writing titles in the complimentary closing of a letter, our editors recommend capitalizing a titles when they follow the name on the address or signature line. However, you can leave it in lowercase as titles are generally not capitalized when following a name in text. Both ways are acceptable. So, choose a method and be consistent.

• Mike Lawrence, Chairperson

• John Goodman, Managing Editor 

4. Capitalize Common Nouns When They Are Used to Name A Specific Entity

Common nouns are considered proper nouns when they are used to name a specific entity.

Common noun	Proper noun
The President will speak to the nation this weekend.	The action has not been approved by the United Nations.
He was a libertarian.	His nomination was forced upon the Libertarian Party.
It is a Gothic cathedral dating from the 15th century.	Florence Cathedral is considered the most beautiful building in the city.

5. Capitalization After Colons

In most cases, you do not have to capitalize a word after a colon. In British English, the first letter after a colon is capitalized only if it’s a proper noun or an acronym. However, the first word after a colon is sometimes capitalized in American English if it begins a complete sentence.

a. List of things or a phrase

When a colon introduces a list of things or a phrase that is not a complete sentence, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless it is a proper noun or a common noun that is used to name a specific entity.

b. Complete sentence (check your style guide)

When a colon introduces a complete sentence, you need to check your style guide to see whether you capitalize the first word after the colon.

According to the APA Publication Manual, for instance, the first word after the colon is capitalized only if it begins a complete sentence. In APA style, if the clause following the colon is a complete sentence, it begins with a capital letter.

They have agreed on the outcome: informed participants perform better than do uninformed participants.	Incorrect
They have agreed on the outcome: Informed participants perform better than do uninformed participants.	Correct

However, The Chicago Manual of Style has a different perspective on it. It requires to capitalize the first word following the colon if there is more than one complete explanatory sentence following the colon.

John prefers wearing a brimmed cap: Strong light often triggers his migraine.	Incorrect
John prefers wearing a brimmed cap: strong light often triggers his migraine.	Correct
John prefers wearing a brimmed cap: strong light often triggers his migraine. He also thinks it is fashionable.	Incorrect
John prefers wearing a brimmed cap: Strong light often triggers his migraine. He also thinks it is fashionable.	Correct

c. The other basic rule of APA Style is to capitalize the first word after the colon in a title.

The Impact of Job-Related Stress on Burnout: a Florida Case Study	Incorrect
The Impact of Job-Related Stress on Burnout: A Florida Case Study	Correct

d. Never capitalize a word after a colon when introducing a list:

The variables of the study are as follows: Burnout, job-related stress, and health-related quality of life.	Incorrect
The variables of the study are as follows: burnout, job-related stress, and health-related quality of life.	Correct

6. Capitalization of the First Word of Quotations

When the quote is a complete sentence, you should capitalize the first word of the quote.

• James said, “The motorcycle slid sideways and skidded approximately 50 meters.” 

Do not capitalize the first word of partial quotes.

• “The motorcycle slid sideways,” James said, “and skidded approximately 50 meters.’’ 

7. Capitalize Days, Months, Holidays

The names of days, months, festivals, and holidays are considered proper nouns and, therefore, should be capitalized.

• Tuesday was more productive than Monday.

• I love the Fourth of July.

• Put that on your Christmas wish list.

• Do you have any plans for Valentine’s Day?

• Her death took place about the end of Ramadan. 

8. Capitalize Time Periods and Events 

Specific time periods, eras, and historical events are considered proper names and thus need to be capitalized.

• The Reformation is considered one of the major movements within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe.

• History is commonly divided into three separate periods: the Ancient Period, the Middle Ages, and the Modern Time.

• World War I was once called the Great War.

• The American Revolution took many ideas from the early civilizations of Greece and Rome. 

9. Do Not Capitalize Centuries

Centuries—and the numbers before them—should not be capitalized.

• During the eighteenth century, slave trading and human trafficking expanded on a global scale.

10. Do Not Capitalize Seasons

However, the name of the four seasons are not proper nouns, so should not be capitalized unless they appear as part of a proper noun.

• The night is the winter, the morning and evening are the spring and fall, and noon is the summer.

• I live near Winter Park.

• The Italian city of Turin hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics.

11. Capitalize Countries, Cities, Nationalities, and Languages

The names of countries, cities, nationalities, and languages are considered proper nouns, and they should be capitalized.

• My father is Irish, and my mother is British.

• I am studying French and German and Latin and Greek.

• On their refusal, the Russians attacked them at midnight.

• Few cities in Europe can match the cultural richness of Berlin. 

12. Capitalize the Most Words in Headings and Titles

In general, you need to capitalize all major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and all proper nouns) in titles and headings. That means articles, conjunctions, and prepositions should not be capitalized. However, the capitalization rules for the titles and headings sometimes differ according to style guides.

For instance, APA Style has two types of capitalization for titles: Title case and sentence case. In title case, APA Style requires all major words to be capitalized, and most minor words should be in lowercase. However, in sentence case, most major and minor words are lowercase unless they are proper nouns. According to APA Style, nouns, verbs (including linking verbs), adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and all words of four letters or more are considered major words; while short (i.e., three letters or fewer) conjunctions, short prepositions, and all articles are considered minor words (APA 6th edition).

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final novel in the series. 

13. Capitalization of Directions and Regions

Capitalize north, south, east, and west (including derivative words) when they refer to a direction or general area or when they designate definite regions or are an integral part of a proper name.

• I live in the south of France.

• First, go north on I-94 and then east.

• The main parts of the southern region of the country were not affected by the ongoing drought. 

However, capitalization is required when these words are part of a proper name or refer to a specific region.

• Record temperatures continued to bake the Midwestern and Southern states. 

• Winds are expected to become northerly later today.

• The South Pole is claimed by seven nations.

• He’s from the Far East, not from the Middle East.

• Western Christianity has played a prominent role in the shaping of Western civilization.

Also, you need to capitalize well-known region names such as East Coast, West Coast, and Southern California. However, a geographical area considered a distinct region might vary by country.

• The East Coast of the United States is also known as the Eastern Seaboard.

• The West Coast is the coastline along which the continental Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. 

14. Theories, Laws, Models, and Disciplines

In general, there is no need to capitalize the names of laws, theories, models, disciplines, statistical procedures, or hypotheses as they can be understood to serve more as common nouns as opposed to proper nouns. Note that proper nouns within these terms are capitalized.

Scientific theories and models	rational choice theory, social constructionist theory, germ theory of disease, Newton’s law of gravitation, problem solving model, crisis intervention model
Scales and inventories	Maslach Burnout Inventory, Transformational Leadership Scale
Laws and schools of though	Maslow’s law of hierarchy, behaviorism, the German historical school, French liberal school
Disciplines and subjects	economics, Mathematics, English, anthropology, chemistry

 Keep in mind that the names of inventories, questionnaires, or tests should be capitalized.

• Maslach Burnout Inventory

• Transformational Leadership Scale

15. Closing a Letter with A Valediction

When we sign off on letters or send emails, we generally close them with valediction such as «Regards», «Best», «Best wishes», «Best regards», «Sincerely», or «Cordially yours.» The first word in these farewell words or complimentary closes should be capitalized, just like the beginning of a sentence.

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Capitalize the first letter of the first word in a sentence. Instead of “see me run” you get “See me run” as the output. With some languages such as English the rules of standard grammar state that a complete sentence begins with a capital letter. A sentence can be a statement, request, or suggestion. It can also be a question or exclamation. A sentence normally includes a noun that acts as subject and a verb. Some languages allow subjects to be omitted.

Sentences can be simple, compound, of complex. A simple sentence includes a single clause. A compound sentence includes more than one clause and a conjunction. A complex sentence includes an independent and dependent clause.

A declarative sentence is the most common type of sentence. A question can request information or be rhetorical. An exclamation can also be a sentence. An imperative sentence is a command.

Use a complete sentence.

That is an example of an imperative sentence. Sentence length can determine the complexity of the sentence. In general, the more the number of words in a sentence, the more difficult it is to understand the sentence. The Gunning fog index is one measure of readability of writing in English. The index relates readability to the years of formal schooling needed to understand the sentence.

The rules for when to capitalize are numerous. Below you’ll find the basics. If you come across a situation I haven’t covered, please be so kind as to tell me in the comments; I’ll be happy to include more rules if they will be helpful.

Note: Be aware that when we say capitalize, we mean “capitalize the first letter of.” It’s therefore redundant to say, “Capitalize the first letter of the word.” To indicate that all the letters of a word are made capital, we would say it is written “in all capitals” or “in all caps” for short.

The First Word of a Sentence

Always capitalize the first word of a sentence:

Nobody likes smog.

Quotations

Capitalize the first word of a quotation if it begins a complete sentence. If, however, the quoted words are only part of a sentence, you should not capitalize:

Capitalize: Mary Walters said, “This generation lives in a cocoon of intolerance.”

Don’t Capitalize: Mary Walters said that this generation lives in a “cocoon of intolerance.”

Don’t capitalize the continuation of a quoted sentence that has been interrupted:

“I told you,” Martha insisted, “that I would sweep the kitchen.”

I and O

Always capitalize the pronoun I and the interjection O:

I said I would write soon and I did.

O, my beloved hamster, you are so furry.

It’s not necessary to capitalize the interjection oh, unless it starts a sentence or stands alone as a sentence.

Capitalize:                   Oh, now I understand!

Capitalize:                   Oh! The party is on the roof!

Don’t Capitalize:        But, oh, her memory lingers.

Proper Nouns

Nouns that name particular people, places, and things are called proper nouns and should be capitalized. Common nouns, naming general people, places, and things, should not be capitalized.

Common (Don’t Capitalize)	Proper (Capitalize)
friend, doctor, singer, athlete	Bubba, Dr. Winchester, Lady Gaga, Tiger Woods
city, state, lake, street, mountain, country, hotel, stadium, museum	Saskatchewan,  Texas, Lake Pitney, Walnut Avenue, Mount McKinley, India, The Ritz-Carleton, Veteran’s Stadium, The Louvre
building, school, ketchup	Empire State Building, Clover Hill High School, Heinz Ketchup

Proper Adjectives

Capitalize adjectives formed from proper nouns, but don’t capitalize the articles that introduce them (a, an, the):

• the Mexican restaurant         
• a Latin accent           
• an Earth-friendly factory

Sometimes words become so common that they are no longer associated with the proper noun. These words are not capitalized. That’s why we don’t capitalize french fries.

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Titles

Titles of books, articles, magazines, poems, songs, movies, and other published works are capitalized according to simple rules:

1) Capitalize the first letter of the first and last word, including subtitles.

2) Capitalize all words other than articles, short prepositions*, and conjunctions.

Examples:

• “The Lottery”
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• The Mayor of Casterbridge
• “Rock Around the Clock”
• Albert Einstein: In Search of Relativity

*Authorities differ on prepositions in titles. Some capitalize prepositions of five or more letters. The AP capitalizes if they have four or more. The MLA doesn’t capitalize any mid-title prepositions regardless of length. We’ll leave this decision up to you.

Don’t Capitalize for Emphasis

In formal writing, avoid using all capitals to emphasize a word or phrase in your writing.

Wrong:           Then I noticed he had pulled the WRONG TOOTH!

Right:              Then I noticed he had pulled the wrong tooth!

Don’t Capitalize Randomly

Don’t capitalize random or arbitrary letters or words. Some students, when handwriting, like to make certain letters capital all the time. In formal writing, always follow capitalization rules.

I saw my cousiN yesterDay at the Bakery.

Capitalize the days of the week and months of the year

• Monday          
• Thursday        
• February         
• November

Seasons

Do not capitalize the names of the seasons.

• spring             
• summer          
• winter             
• fall

Geographical Regions

Do not capitalize geographical directions unless referring to a known region.

• east                
• north              
• the South        
• the Midwest

Personal Titles

Capitalize titles when used before a name or for titles of great importance.

Not Capitalized: the secretary, professor, general, president, chairman , delegate

Capitalized: Secretary Smith, Professor Carr, General Lee, President of the United States, the Pope

Family Relationships

Capitalize terms denoting family relationship when used before a name or in place of a name:

Not Capitalized:  Peter is my favorite uncle.        My dad can beat up your dad.

Capitalized:  I can’t wait to see Uncle Peter.        I’m telling Dad about this.

 Academic Years

Do not capitalize terms denoting academic years.

• freshman                    
• sophomore                
• junior             
• senior

 Academic Subjects

Do not capitalize names of academic subjects except for languages and when giving the title of a specific course.

• biology                       
• algebra                       
• French            
• Economics 101

Races, Religions, and Groups

Capitalize names of specific racial, religious and other groupings of people:

• African American                   
• Arab               
• Caucasian                   
• Mormon                     

Sacred Works

Capitalize the words Bible, Scripture, and the titles of other sacred works, but not the adjectives biblical or scriptural.

• I am trying to read through the Bible this year.
• I wonder what the Koran has to say about it.
• He made several biblical references.

Pronouns Referring to God

Although customary in some religious settings, it is not standard usage to capitalize pronouns referring to God:

When I pray to God, I feel like he is listening.

The Lord is seated on his throne.

Texting and Social Media

It is common in informal contexts like text messaging and social media posting to skip capitals altogether. This is often fine – as long as you remember your audience and the context of your communication. Some adults, educators, or business people may prefer that even informal communications follow capitalization conventions.

Keep in mind that public forums like social media sites can be viewed by anyone. It is increasingly common, for example, for college admissions officers and employers to view the social media pages of applicants. When you post online, remember that your audience may be broader than you intend. Be careful how you present yourself.

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If anything needs clarification, or if you have a question about capitalization not answered above, please leave a comment below!